Banchero's Magic must contain Portland's Deni Avdija to end west coast trip with win

The 16-13 Orlando Magic visit the 12-17 Portland Trail Blazers tonight.

The Magic are coming off a tough loss in Golden State, letting the game get away from them in the fourth quarter; with the Blazers also coming off a loss to Detroit last night, the first deciding factor for this game will be 'which team playing on the second night of a back to back bounces back best?'

What are the keys to Orlando winning the last game of their West Coast trip in Portland?

1. Contain Deni Avdija as Driver/Shooter/Scorer

Avdija reacts — Dec 22, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) reacts toward a referee after getting called for a foul during the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

In case you hadn't noticed, Deni Avdija is a name households who follow basketball will soon know, if they don't already.

Deni "Turbo" has exploded in production off more touches and impressive development in Portland.

Avdija is now scoring 25.5 points per game, dishing out 6.5 assists to just 3.7 turnovers, pulling down 7.1 rebounds, and forcing 1.3 stocks.

He's scoring at a 62% TS% rate and shooting 53% on 10 twos, 37% on 6 threes, and 80% on 10 free throws, all while being one of the premier drivers, kickers, and pull-up three point shooters in the entire league!

Avdija doesn't just have potential, Deni is a problem right now for the rest of the association.

He must be stopped; and if not stopped, we must hope to contain him.

Make the game as tough as possible for Avdija, Orlando must send its best perimeter defenders available in Anthony Black and Jonathan Isaac, though that list continues to shrink as Orlando adds more to its injury list.

Orlando may need to switch others like Paolo Banchero, Noah Penda, Desmond Bane, Wendell Carter Jr. onto Avdija at times too, just to throw a different look and hopefully add confusion.

Don't double Deni Avdija, as he is just as happy to beat you with the pass as he is the shot.

Tight ball coverage, run him off the 3pt line, make him beat you with tough midrange shots and ideally get the ball out of his hands without doubling.

Make someone else beat you, but don't leave them open to do it.

2. Find the four factor edges – rebounding, fouls, turnovers

Wendell rebounds over Jokic and Pickett — Dec 18, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and guard Jalen Pickett (24) reach for a refund in the second half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Portland rates 21st in Point Differential, 23rd in offense, and 19th in defense.

The Blazers rate poorly in most areas, yet stand out positively in three individual four factor categories – rating 3rd at offensive rebounding, 3rd in drawing fouls, and 8th at forcing turnovers on defense.

Drawing fouls on offense and crashing the glass in general are big advantages Orlando can exploit.

Orlando still has the edge in rebounding on both side sides of the ball; the defense needs to be careful to not foul a Blazers team that draws a ton.

Orlando's offensive shooting efficiency and turnover rate is slightly worse than Portland defensive shooting efficiency and turnover rate; getting good looks, making safe decisions with the ball, and not hurting yourself with controllable turnovers, loose play, and bad passes is one key to success.

The Magic's defense forcing turnovers and forcing tough shots in the half court are other areas it has the edge over Portland offense.

Winning all of these four factor categories can help create an edge for Orlando.

3. Trust Desmond Bane's two-man game with Banchero and Carter

Bane and Magic celebrate — Dec 20, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; The Orlando Magic react after guard Desmond Bane (3) makes a shot against the Utah Jazz to take the lead with under a second left in overtime at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Orlando is facing a multitude of injuries – missing both Wagner brothers for weeks, expecting to miss Jalen Suggs and Tristan da Silva again after both did not play in Golden State last night.

This Magic offense still has three resident starters in Bane, Banchero, and Carter to rely on for their normal pick-and-roll and handoff heavy sets, along with any play they feel like running through Paolo being a good one.

Orlando can rely on multiple combinations for reliable offense: Bane-Banchero pick-and-roll (or pop), Banchero-Bane inverted pick-and-pop, Bane-Carter pick-and-roll (or pop), and handoffs between any pair.

Anthony Black has been Orlando's most reliable spot-starter primarily due to his versatile perimeter defense along with his off-ball shooting and aggressive downhill driving, giving the Magic another secondary creator to rely on for offense.

With a shorter rotation available, the Magic may need shooters Jase Richardson and Jett Howard to see more touches offensively, and they'll definitely need the two-way energy of Noah Penda, Jonathan Isaac, and Goga Bitadze off the bench.